Consider the reset button pushed.
With balanced scoring and efficient defense Wednesday night, UH-Hilo downed sliding Chaminade 75-68 in Honolulu, where the Vulcans might just have gotten their season back on track.
This two-day jaunt Oahu to make up for postponements earlier in the schedule came at just the right time. Instead of a 10-day layoff to stew over a losing streak, UHH (12-9, 8-6 PacWest) regained momentum and have a conference tournament spot firmly within grasp as they concentrate on the postseason rush.
It took a village of Vuls, coach Kaniela Aiona said, namely Max Kunnert (15 points), Donald McHenry (14), Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones (14) and Kameron Ng (13).
“Our guys found a way to win,” Aiona said in a school release. “Chaminade’s a really good team, and I’m proud of how our guys played together.
“All 11 got in there and gave something tonight.”
UHH turned 19 Silverswords turnovers into 19 points, making up for a sharp rebounding deficit, 48-29.
The Vuls finished the first half on a 17-7 run to finish the first half and led by nine, and they were ahead by as many of 14 in the second half.
Isaac Amaral-Artharee led all scorers with 20 points but was just 6 of 18 from the field for Chaminade, which has lost six in a row. The Silverswords (6-10, 8-14) shot 34.4%, a season low for a UHH foe.
Jamie Strong followed up his 25-point effort a night earlier in win against Hawaii Pacific with eight points, and Darren Williams returned after missing the past two games, coming off the bench to post three points, three rebounds, four assists and three steals in 19 minutes. UHH
The Vuls, who will head to Northern California for a four-game road trip that starts Sunday at Academy of Art, are tied for fifth in the PacWest. The top eight set to advance to the postseason.
• Women
UHH 75, Chaminade 28: The Vulcans suffocated the Silverswords from the tip, scoring the game’s first 12 points and allowing season lows in points, shooting percentage (20.4%) and rebounds (26) to climb back above .500 in conference.
Mandi Kawaha led UHH with 14 points, Sara Shimizu led a 34-point bench brigade with 10 and Nikki Miller added eight points and 13 rebounds.
“It was a good win,” coach David Kaneshiro said in a school release. “Back-to-back games are not easy, so I was very proud of how hard out team played tonight.”
His team is in seventh in the PacWest and all but assured its first postseason berth since 2014.
UHH (10-7, 7-6) won by one point a night earlier at HPU on Miller’s late layup, but the 47-point margin of victory against Chaminade (1-15, 0-12) was more than double the Vuls’ previous season high.
The Silverswords struggled in every way, shooting 1 of 12 from 3-point range, getting outrebounded 55-26 and turning the ball over 22 times with three assists.
